Strength, Wisdom, Courage
by Hannaadi88
Summary: We are all one- a united, living thing. And when one of us leaves us, something dies within us, as he takes something with him. -In memory-


**Strength. Wisdom. Courage.**

_.Dedicated to Poland- may you never know such pain again._

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~.~  
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All was normal. 'Normal', being the usual hectic aura surrounding most every meeting. America was loudly declaring to no one in particular about his 'new awesome hero's health insurance'. Next to him, Germany was discussing as calmly as he could with Russia about various memorial days' tactics and tips. England and France, on the other hand, were sharing insults freely.

The other side of the table was occupied by a napping Greece (rightfully tired, as he had been up all the previous night negotiating with a potential buyer of one of his many islands), a silent Japan and the three Baltics. Estonia was trying to supply a trembling Latvia with some practical advice while Lithuania was indulging a rambling Poland politely.

"Ever since the war, wasn't I, like, the most awesome country eva? And I-"

A sudden crash silenced the room. Poland, who had been leaning lazily backwards in his chair, had fallen. All the countries could do was watch in hypnotized horror as the blond European turned increasingly pale. His mouth was open slightly with a silent scream on his lips, his eyes open but unseeing. He kept clutching at his chest as he lay frozen on the floor.

The brunette Baltic was the first to break the ice that had formed unnoticed over the past couple of moments. He leaned over the still nation, shaking his shoulders frantically for a reaction. Any reaction. "F-Feliks? Are you all right? Do you hear me?" He used his friend's personal name, something uncommon and unheard of within the group of countries. A soft murmur enveloped the crowd.

All the Lithuanian had elected from his attempts was a deep agonized moan- a mixture of pain and mourning. Before any of the nations were able to react to the uncharacteristic response, Poland had slowly risen from the floor, shaking. As he started to make his way towards the crowd, Lithuania hesitantly tried to assist his friend in walking, as the simple physical act had labored his breath. But as the brunette grazed the other's arm, Poland sharply pulled away, staggering from the Baltic grasp. Giving Lithuania a sullen-eyed stare, he continued on his way.

Lithuania was partly paralyzed. Poland's eyes had been. . ._dead._ What could have happened to had taken the countries' usual cheerful coloring?

Finally reaching the cluster of nations, Poland paused right in front of Russia. The murmur had become a loud conversation, only to be silenced by the sharp sound of a slap. Everyone immediately settled down and turned to the now panting European and the unfazed, smiling Russia. Poland had regained his lost strength, his face flushed and eyes brimming in tears. He continued to look accusingly at the Russian, screaming on the top of his lungs.

"What the hell did you do that for?! They were going to attend the ceremony that _you _were holding in memory of all of those officials, whom _you _killed! Add insult to injury, will you?! And, like, if that's not enough, you dare to stand here next to me without even apologizing the moment it happened!"

Before anyone were able to react to his outburst, Poland sunk to the floor. Hands on the Russian's coat and his head bowed over his knees, his tears ran freely. His whispers filled the room.

"He was nice. . .not, like, the best leader I ever had. . . and yet. . . all of those people. . .my whole Presidential delegation. . .gone. Why?"

Russia, silent the whole while, smiled calmly down at the weeping nation, slowly unclenching the other's fingers from his coat. "Calm down, Feliks. I know it hurts, but there is nothing anyone can do about it, _da_? I had no part in it. You _know _exactly what happened. And you know I'll help out with the investigations, _neit_?

Poland nodded silently, gazing at the ground. Lithuania took his cue as he slowly helped the blond to his feet, guiding him out of the meeting room. The rest of the nations turned to the Russian with a quizzical expression on their faces. Russia, ignoring them all, walked towards the window, peering through it into the distance.

"Plane crashed. President, his wife and top army officials. On their way to my memorial ceremony," he clenched his fists and added thoughtfully "I wonder who will get the blame . . .?"

The rest of the nations nodded in understanding, clicking their tongues in disapproval. It was rare for those type of accidents to happen these days, with all of the newest technology- and yet, they occurr once in a while. To make things worse, this was no ordinary accident- Poland's president and officials were all killed. The elite of the elite. It will defiantly have international consenquences.

China shivered, looking at the unusually silent American. The feeling of change hung in the air.

_It won't be long. . ._

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~.~

In a room not far from the other nations were two countries- one sitting, exhausted on a couch, the other standing somberly next to his friend. Sitting turned to lying as Poland rested his head on a cushion, mumbling something from desperation.

Lithuania, noticing the other's change of moods and quick to act, placed his finger on the other's lips in a silencing gesture, smiling slightly. Poland tensed, about to move the fingers away, sighed and relented, moving his head away and letting his tense body relax on the soft couch. His friend's smile turned into a soft chuckle as he covered Poland's resting body with a blanket nearby, leaving the room silently as not to wake him up.

_You can do it. . . we all will be here to help you out if need be. It will be okay. But for now. . ._

_Odwagę, mądrość, siłę. _

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_Hanna Chan's Blah-Blah Corner;_

_*Sigh* _

_The moment i heard about the tragedy this morning, i decided that i must write about it. And now, seeing that there are many other fics like this, it makes me happy to see that we all care for each other. Your gain is my gain. Your loss is my lost._

_':D My way back, almost invisible Polish genes really ached today in school. The thing is, almost no one else knew about the tragedy, so i wasn't able to talk about it to anyone =3=' I hope this will be my last tragedy-condolences fanfic. _

_So, to all you Polish readers- have strength! It will be alright. Somehow, someway.  
_


End file.
